OTHER ISSUES

Senior Housing

Jay believes that creating more Senior Housing should be a priority in City Hall. Jay has talked to dozens of Holyoke seniors during this campaign and one consistent theme has been their concern with the lack of quality senior housing. The addition of privately owned and operated Senior Housing will help keep Holyoke residents in Holyoke, attract new residents and add to the tax base.

Clean Streets and Alleyways

Jay is a strong supporter of public trash and recycling containers. While Ward 4 City Councilor, Jay facilitated the placements of over two dozen trash and recycling containers. The limited cost and time resulted in a significant decrease of litter on our city streets. Jay will work to place a public trash and recycling container on every city block to clean up our streets and beautify our city.

Increase Code Enforcement

Jay will ensure a full-time Code Enforcement Officer is available for all Holyoke residents. Quality of Life issues like illegal dumping, unshoveled sidewalks and traffic concerns and noise violations can have a big impact on Holyoke neighborhoods. These issues can often get caught up in the cycle of "its not my job" or just ignored all together. Jay believes that no issue is too small and will work to address every issue brought forward by the residents of Holyoke.

Support La Familia Hispania

Latinxs form the largest minority group in the City of Holyoke, with the largest percentage Puerto Rican population of any city in the US outside Puerto Rico. The Hispanic Festival has experienced a decline over the past few years, with city permitting, public safety and trash disposal issues distracting organizers at every turn and limiting the full potential of the festival. A large Hispanic Festival has the opportunity to become an economic engine for Holyoke and a point of pride for all of Holyoke's residents. Jay will work together with organizers to ensure they are receiving the full support of the City of Holyoke.

Jobs not Jails

Jay is a strong proponent of "Jobs not Jails", a statewide coalition to redirect costly prison spending towards jobs, training and support for Massachusetts lowest income communities. The system of Mass Incarceration has been a long term destructive force on the City of Holyoke. Men and women convicted of non-egregious, often victimless crime are sent to prison at great cost to taxpayers. Upon returning home, finding work is very difficult. Initiatives like "Jobs not Jails' are a step in the right direction towards ending this unjust and illogical system.

Responsible Solar Development

Jay is a strong supporter of Solar Power. Jay feels Holyoke should have a policy of encouraging Solar Panels on rooftops, brownfield and paved surfaces while discouraging Solar Panels on open green space and other residential and commercial lots better suited for economic development. Jay opposed the city supported plan to clear cut several acres of land in the Blueberry Hill Section of Holyoke off of Homestead Avenue. Jay believes blindly places solar panels anywhere they are proposed is both environmentally and fiscally irresponsible.

Historic Preservation Planning Commission

Jay believes that Holyoke's Historic Assets are a key part of Holyoke's community character and economic future. Jay will create a Historic Preservation Planning Commission which will audit Holyoke Historic Assets with a focus on preventing expensive building collapses, facilitating responsible development and getting unoccupied buildings back on the tax rolls.

Small investments in Historic Assets from Community Development Block Grants and the recently passed Community Preservation Act can save Holyoke millions of dollars in potential cleanup costs in the event of at catastrophic collapse like The Essex House on High Street, which cost taxpayers over 1.4 million dollars in December of 2014. Holyoke's Historic Assets are a big part of what makes Holyoke unique but we need to take a proactive, big picture approach when dealing with these properties or taxpayers will be paying for it for decades.

Creation of a Composting Program

Jay will begin a trial composting program where Holyoke residents will be given composting containers for food and lawn waste to be turned into rich soil. The city of Holyoke pays to dispose of trash by weight. The heaviest component of that trash by a wide margin is food waste. By investing a small amount of money on composting containers, the City of Holyoke stands to realize a significant and long term savings to our trash disposal costs, all while providing participating residents with a means to create their own rich garden soil.

More to come

Jay will be adding new content each week. Please submit your own question or concerns as well.